


Contemplations in a Cage

by Justanothersinger



Series: Glass Cage [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Also first time characterization be wary, Contains generous amounts of indecisive Naegi and tsundere Togami, I love Syo so she gets a cameo ok, Just kiss already you two god, M/M, May include copious amounts of cheese and cliches, Or my excuse to write the date by the pool I always wanted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-09 22:19:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1151472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justanothersinger/pseuds/Justanothersinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naegi's only redeeming quality may be his optimism, but that didn't mean he didn't have regrets or worries. Contains Naegami slash, don't say I didn't warn you. Contains spoilers for Chapter 4 in-game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contemplations in a Cage

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution to the ship, I guess? Ugh, this took me like two months to write ughughugh
> 
> Anyway, I may or may not have messed up the characterization. I'll leave that up to the reader. If you have any opinions, wanna point out any mistakes or just wanna say how bad I fucked up, leave me a review or something, 'kay? :)
> 
> This was mildly inspired by an ask created by asknaegami on tumblr; go check out their blog if you're a Naegami fan~ It's awesome :D
> 
> This story is for my lovely writer and irl friend Kanista~ It's also part of a series thing I'm doing 'cause I can never write JUST oneshots nopenopenope
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Contemplations in a Cage

A Dangan Ronpa fanfiction

 

He couldn't sleep.

 

No, it was more accurate to say that he wouldn't sleep.

 

He lay on top of the sheets, staring at the ceiling with a fixation that had nothing to do with boredom. The hum of the A/C was the only thing that pierced the silence, but it too gradually faded to a hum in the background. In this almost silence, his thoughts are the loudest.

Another trial. Another death.

 

And it was a suicide.

 

_Just so that she could keep her end of the deal and leave us all to fight and survive against the mastermind._

_To fight and survive._

 

...

 

_I talk a big talk, but when it comes down to it, how do we defeat the mastermind? He seems to have more power than is possible for a normal person; for the school to shut down, providing for us, arranging for the executions...all of this requires careful planning and resources that the average person doesn't have._

_We don't even know who we're dealing with. So how can we defeat them in the first place?_

 

_We had a chance when Alter Ego was discovered, a ray of hope from Fujisaki-kun but now...now that the mastermind has even taken that away. Not only that, but he had supposedly known that we were hiding Alter Ego from him the whole time._

_And yet, still he pretended not to know._

_Why? Just to give us false hope?_

_And then rip away that hope and watch us fall into despair? Was that what he planned?_

_What kind of person would even do such a thing?_

 

"...I can't sleep."

 

Naegi was talking to empty air, a common occurrence in the light of recent events. A habit that would no doubt cause his friends to question his hold on sanity, and at some points he agreed with them, even if talking to himself helped him in thinking through things.

He sat back up and diverted his stare towards the sheets, just a few inches away from his sock-clad feet. He didn't feel tired either, even though his eyes were heavy and his body ached at the joints; a bone-deep ache that demanded rest to heal. But resting was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

 

Desperation.

 

He took in a deep breath and rubbed the nape of his neck.

 

 _I honestly don't feel like lying here and waiting for sleep to come to me._ He briefly considered running around the room until he became tired enough to fall asleep, but then rejected it because it seemed silly and also the fact that Monokuma was watching him didn't exactly endear him to the idea either. He didn't have his music player either, so he couldn't play any good songs and fall asleep like that.

_...Hmm. I wonder, is the swimming pool still open?_

 

Most likely yes, since Monokuma never mentioned shutting the pool down during night-time. And Fujisaki was training in the changing room with Oowada during the night hours  when he...was found. So, it would only be logical to assume that the pool would be open as well. 

He hesitated, glancing at the front door. He was safe here, but...

 

He really, really wanted to go outside. In fact, he may go crazy if he stayed in here any longer.

 

A little walk wouldn't hurt anyone, right? Right.

 

He nodded to himself and pulled himself to the edge of the bed, slipping his feet into his sneakers. He did up his laces and got to his feet, absently tapping the tip of his sneakers on the floor behind him and making his way to the door.

 

The camera swiveled his way to watch silently as he made his exit.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

Naegi was pretty sure that the only thing stopping him from tripping over his own feet right now was the light from the ElectroID.

 

He squinted and lowered his ID a little, trying to make out the shapes of the walls and failing miserably. He sighed and held his ID up again, one arm out to feel the walls to his side.

 

How the hell had he managed to find his way back to his room with a split head?

 

Well, technically he didn't; he made a stop to the gym first before that, so he may have actually gotten a little side-tracked. But even with this tiny light-source, he felt incredibly vulnerable to prying eyes. Occasionally, he could make out the blinking red of the cameras as he hurried upstairs, resisting the strong urge to pull his hood up and block their vision. But that was stupid, because they would know it was him anyway; no other student here wore a hoodie. He shivered and pulled his jacket tighter around himself.

The hallway was every bit as cold as it was dark. A fitting atmosphere for a school of mutual killing.

With help from the ID map,  he managed to find his way to the staircase. And just a little ways away...

 

_Ah, made it!_

 

He ducked into the changing room, glancing at the huge machine gun above his head out of habit as he checked in with the ID. He took a deep breath and nudged the door open, making his way to the swimming pool.

 

It was unlocked. And he hadn't been turned into swiss cheese yet for it, so that was a good thing.

 

...

 

...

 

He really hoped that was a good thing.

 

He stepped into the swimming pool area and gave the room a quick once-over.

 

It didn't seem like anyone was here.

 

The lights were turned off for some reason, but the lights in the pool were on. It threw the entire room in a soft blue glow, dream-like and surreal.

 

 _This entire situation is surreal_. He made his way to the edge of the pool and knelt down and dragged his hand against the surface, feeling the water ripple away from his fingertips, and the tension in his body melt away with it. _Cold..._

He drew his hand back and looked around again before kicking off his shoes and socks and pulling the legs of his pants up to his knees.

 _Wow, that's cold!_ He hesitated before dipping his leg in and finally bringing the other one in. He gradually got used to the temperature though, eventually becoming comfortable enough to move his feet.

 

He kicked at the water, making little waves in the pretty blue. It was quiet, save for the splash noises he was making and even then, the sounds were soothing; a balm to his overworked and wide-awake mind. Sitting there, kicking at the water like a child, the weirdness of the situation hit him anew and he could feel a giggle working his way up to his throat and through his mouth at the oddness of it all. 

 

It sounded strange to his ears. Almost like a mix of innocent happiness that lightened his soul and heart-wrenching desperation that slowly and painfully ate away at his body.

 

Desperation.

 

He stopped laughing.

 

Desperation.

 

Despair.

 

He hated that word.

 

He'd promised himself that he wouldn't fall to despair. For the sake of Maizono and the rest of the students who had fallen.

 

But with each passing trial, against his will, he could feel the shard of hope in his heart shrink. Smaller and smaller, until it was a mere shadow of a thing, a feeble flame that could be blown out by the gentlest of winds. And he hated himself for it. He hated himself for feeling this way. He smiled. He laughed. He encouraged. He shouted. He allowed himself to feel and act, while he turned away from the darkness in his heart, trying to not think of it, in fear of other people seeing.

He wanted to save them all. He wanted to find a way out. But their numbers...just kept decreasing. And as the group became smaller and smaller, he could feel the weight of their deaths grow on his shoulders. It was his fault too. He didn't try hard enough. He felt every bit as responsible for the murder as the culprit. And it was also because of them...because of him, that the murderer had to die. Self-preservation it may be, but it doesn't change the fact that he had sent people to their deaths.

He rubbed his eyes and kicked again at the water absently. _Really...I honestly don't know myself why I feel so hopeful for a way out._

"What are you doing here?"

 

The voice came literally out of nowhere. More importantly though, the source of the voice was right behind him.

 

Naegi's instincts kicked in and he hurriedly yanked his feet out of the water, swiveling to his side to bring them back on the ground. Unfortunately for him, his hand slipped on one of the many small puddles near the edge and gave way and he was falling.

 

But before his back met the floor, something grabbed on his other arm and stopped him. 

 

"Oi. What on Earth do you think you're doing?"

 

"...Togami...kun?" Naegi blinked. That imperious, overbearing tone didn't belong to anyone else but...what was he...

 

"Hopelessly average as you may be," Togami continued, "I would think that even you had standards, Naegi."

 

Naegi just stared at him as the other boy pulls him upright. Once he was back in a sitting position, he finally asked, "Standards?"

 

"There are more efficient ways to die than cracking your head open because your coordination skills are less than stellar. And I'm not in the mood to deal with another trial so soon." 

 

"...Right. Thanks." Came the stiff, stilted reply. As soon as Togami had let go of him, Naegi turned back towards the pool, the movement slightly too fast and too awkward for his liking. For the first time since he came here, he was grateful for the darkness that cloaked the swimming area, for it hid the unwelcome flush of heat on his cheeks from that sharp, searching gaze.

The heir had  that he wasn't interested in interacting with other people, much less forge bonds of friendship between them. He wouldn't exactly be thrilled if he learnt of Naegi's less-than-platonic feelings for him.

 

 Naegi hardly believed it himself at times. It wasn't like Togami hadn't treated him any differently than the others; if anything he seemed to have made Naegi his lackey of sorts sometime after the first trial. Which usually entailed him looking for clues while Togami hovered close behind, continuously expressing his irritation at Naegi's failure to pick up on certain important bits of information and what they meant to the cases.

 

Hardly the stuff of romance.

 

And yet, Naegi was all but fawning over the other like a lovestruck teenage girl.

 

He briefly wondered if he was some kind of closet masochist. Like Fukawa. Not that she wasn't making much effort to keep her affection hidden. Remembering the many, many times she'd hovered over her beloved Byakuya-sama would often leave Naegi with a sharp pang of what could only be iron-hot jealousy in his gut.

 

Yep. Definitely a masochist.

 

"Naegi!"

 

The boy flinched when a particularly loud shout jolted him out of his thoughts. He looked to his side and saw that Togami was still there, an impatient look on his face.

"Pay attention. I believe I asked you what you were doing here."

 

"Me?" 

 

"Are you actually becoming more moronic with each passing day? Yes, you."

 

"Uh..." The air was cool on the water that still lingered on his legs and he rubbed them absently in an effort to stay warm, "I couldn't sleep."

"I can see that." Togami snapped, "But why are you here, of all places? It's hardly the hour for an impromptu swim."

 

"Well, yeah. But I wasn't planning on going swimming. I came here to think."

 

"To think? Couldn't you have done that in your own room?" 

 

"Yeah, that seems more practical doesn't it." Naegi said sheepishly, "But I've been staying in there for too long, so I was out for a quick walk and then I saw that the swimming pool was open so..." He trailed off. 

 

...Togami was standing a little too close for comfort. And the minute that he was aware of this fact, he was hit by the mad impulse to lean towards him. Close the distance between them, the gap between their bodies, stand back up so he was just a little closer to those lips...

 

If he hadn't been blushing before-which he highly doubted-he definitely was now. Ugh.

Seriously, he was just wasting his time. Why doesn't he understand already; Togami will never like him in that way. And acting all lovestruck and girly was not going to help matters. It would just destroy the tentative partnership that he had managed to develop with the other boy.

 

Especially since Togami had made it abundantly clear that he didn't consider Naegi special. In any regard.

 

...

 

It was at this point that Naegi was aware that he had been staring at Togami while he was spacing out, and he hurriedly tore his eyes away. Thankfully, the boy hadn't noticed, instead staring thoughtfully at the light fixtures above for some reason. Which probably had to something to do with the files that he just noticed that Togami was carrying.

"You were reading here, Togami-kun?"

 

"It's too dark to read." He replied in a distracted manner, still not looking at Naegi, "And I am currently unable to use in the library right now."

Unable to use? What did that mean...oh, right. Genocider Syo.

 

Must be stressful, Naegi mused, dealing with a serial killer-stalker on top of everything else. Except he hadn't really seen Togami lose his cool at all. Not as much as the others or Naegi himself.

 

Maybe it was because he treated everything like a game. The killers and victims were pawns, Togami had proclaimed, in a game that did little except provide a source of amusement for him. 

But did he honestly not care? Not even a little bit?

 

Didn't he have anything he cared about that he feared losing?

 

Whatever the case may be, at least he seemed more calm about the whole situation than Naegi felt at the moment.

Remembering why he was here in the first place, Naegi's mood took a nosedive straight back into that feeling of unease that he had been experiencing all night.

 

_Great._

Just as he was sinking anew into the mess of thoughts that swarmed his brain, the changing room door burst open.

 

Before he could even react this time, he was violently yanked back on his feet and pulled away from the pool.

 

"T-Togami-kun?! Wha-"  
  
"Be _quiet_ for a second, will **you**?" He hissed, as he continued to unceremoniously drag Naegi along.  
  
He needn't have bothered talking though, since Naegi understood the situation a split second later, when an echoing cry of "Byakuya-samaaaaaa" resounded through the area.

 

Genocider's here.

 

...

 

...She may be here, but she wouldn't bother with Naegi now, would she? It wasn't like he was anything special in the looks department. He was hardly in danger.

 

Not that Naegi would take his chances with her because of this.

 

Then again, being with Togami significantly increased his chances of being offed by the serial killer.

 

Which then reminded him that Togami was still dragging him, and by this time he'd managed to pull Naegi around the side of the pool.

 

"...W-wait a second! I left my shoes back there!"  
  
Togami looked like he was about to snarl something before he caught himself and walked back to where Naegi had left his shoes, not relinquishing his hold on the boy. As soon as he'd made his way back there, he'd grabbed them and shoved them at Naegi. Before they could go back to the side of the pool though, they heard Genocider's coos getting closer to where they stood.

"Where, oh where are you, my handsome white knight~? Your serial-killer-in-distress is pining for you, you know~"  
  
"...! Tch." Was Togami's only reply, before he resumed yanking on Naegi's hood and pulled him into the locker by the pool.

 

And shut the door behind them.

 

...

  
What.

 

"Togami-kun?!" His voice rose to an embarrassingly high pitch on the name, " What are you doing?"

 

"Naegi, if you don't shut up this second, that woman will find us trapped like this." Togami's irritated whisper was suddenly very, very close to his ear; he could actually feel the warm exhale of breath near the flesh of his lobe and he suppressed a shiver. Naegi found himself blushing again, which was seriously a stupid habit and he needed to stop it. It wasn't good for his health if all the blood kept rushing to his face-and somewhere else-and back too frequently. 

 

It was nothing though, compared to when he realized that in his haste to hide from Genocider, Togami had all but thrown them both in the locker and now Naegi had ended up with his back to the locker wall and with the heir directly in front of him, effectively trapping him there.

 

_You have got to be kidding me._

 

He barely had the time to whine internally at the unfairness of it all before Togami murmured in a voice that was still much too low for Naegi's liking, "I don't think she'll come here and check...she knows that I wouldn't hide in here."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Too risky. While hiding here, it's all too easy for someone to lock us both in and that would create more than a minor hindrance for us in this kind of environment."

 

 _...Yeah, that makes sense._ Naegi had to agree with that. And then it struck him rather late that they were both stuck in here right now and he says as much to Togami, only to get a rather disgruntled "hmph" in return.

 

"I'm not taking any risks for such an idiotic thing. I wedged one of your shoes in the doorway. It's not so obvious that she can see it in this darkness, but it's just enough that we won't be trapped in here."

 

"Is that so?"

 

"Yes, now for the last time, be quiet. Or do you lack the brain cells to do even that?"

 

Naegi nodded, pantomiming zipping his mouth and throwing away the key. Togami just looked like he wanted to roll his eyes at the childish gesture, but he just turned back towards the door, keeping an eye on Genocider's actions.

 

Time passed. But each second was slow and long and torturous, because Naegi had never gotten used to the sudden lack of space between them and he keeps imagining the heat from the body close to his touching his own skin, accompanied by the teasing, light touches of those slender fingers on his back, his waist, his neck, his lips. Such uncomfortable thoughts, and yet his traitorous body seemed to warm towards the idea and it was all he could do to try to discreetly lean away from Togami and try to occupy his mind with other things.

 

Once again, he lost himself in thought as he went through the fourth trial again in his head, adding it to the long list of hellish experiences that no teenager had any right to face.

 

He didn't plan on forgetting them or their sacrifice.

 

But he really wished he could have saved them.

 

Maybe he did have a chance to save them and he didn't realize it? They'd combed the school thoroughly, as much as Monokuma would let them but was it enough? Were they missing something? Right under their noses, could there be an escape route out of here?

"How did you know?"  
  
"...Hm?" Naegi said distractedly, as he was pulled from his thoughts by Togami's sudden question.  
  
"How did you know then that Asahina wasn't the culprit?"

 

"How did I know..." He repeated, staring back at Togami in confusion, "I...well, I...she wasn't acting like herself. I mean, the Asahina-san I know wouldn't have rushed the trial so much to convict one of us as the killer. Oogami-san was her closest friend and as much as she wanted to avenge her, I'd like to think that she would have wanted some closure too."  
"Huh. And here I was expecting the useless drivel about blind trust that you all seem to possess amongst one another."  
  
"That's a given." Naegi pointed out, "I really can't expect my friends to trust me if I can't trust them, now can't I?"

 

"Even those who haven't said they trust you with their lives?"  
  
"Even them." _Even you._ "Although, if I'm being completely honest, the concept of trust didn't even enter my mind until after the trial. When they were reading Oogami-san's letter." He said tiredly, just wishing that he was sound asleep on his bed right now instead of stuck here, "I think I know that deep down, I trust everyone, but then...I don't actively think about it. And something like that could be bad if the situation here gets out of hand because I would start doubting myself and them. And then, I can't beat Monokuma because I don't have anything to hope for."

 

"That's your approach to beating that bear? Hope?"  
  
"It's the only thing I'm good at." _And the only thing keeping me sane right now._

Surprisingly, Togami seemed to echo his sentiment, "I suppose it would be useful in maintaining the stable mental state required to survive in a place like this. But it's not enough in the long run."  
  
"I know. Which is why I bear in mind the sacrifices that the murder victims and their killers had to face because of despair. I need to keep them in mind and move forward for them. But to move forward, I need to escape from here." Naegi let out an exasperated sigh as his little speech set around a fresh new buzz of crazy theories and desperate plots to escape the academy, "Staying here...it's not _living_."

Togami actually looked like he was seriously considering Naegi's words for some reason. After a brief silence, he said, "How do you plan on defeating the mastermind?"  
  
Always the million-dollar question. Naegi just shrugged, rubbing his eyes.

 

"When was the last time you slept?"  
  
"Huh?" Naegi paused, blinking up at Togami, "Erm, well...yesterday?"  
  
"I didn't mean shallow, short naps Naegi."  
  
Naegi didn't think he _ever_ slept properly while he was here. "...A few weeks ago?"

 

"Are you asking me or telling me?"  
  
"I don't think I've ever had a good night's sleep here. I end up sleeping for about 4-5 hours and that's it. And when there isn't...wasn't a trial,  I sleep in the afternoon too." _I don't think it's enough though._ His body was having that vague under-the-weather feeling, which usually meant he was catching some kind of illness. Which kind of scared him a little because how was he supposed to deal with a cold-and it felt like a really bad one coming-on top of everything else?

"Keep this going and you'll end up dead before you even have a chance to be murdered."

 

Naegi laughed at that, "Yeah."  
  
Togami just looked at Naegi as if he'd sprouted an extra head, "That wasn't supposed to be funny."  
  
"Ah, sorry, sorry."  
  
"You don't sound sorry."  
  
"I am! Honest." Naegi said, as he felt that laughter die down again, "I didn't mean to laugh at you."

 

"I trust not. That would actually mean that a lowlife like you would actually have the guts to laugh at _me_."

 

"Um. Right. So like I said, I didn't mean to."

 

Awkward silence lapsed between them as Togami resumed checking for Genocider's wherabouts. Naegi leaned back against the wall, shuddering a little against the cool surface. His pants were still drawn up to the knees, his feet were _freezing._ He honestly wished he could bend over and pull them down, but there wasn't enough room for that. He just focused on his thoughts instead, trying to ignore the biting cold.

"You never did answer my question." Togami finally said, looking back at Naegi, "What were you doing here in the first place?"  
  
"Me? Um. I was here because I wanted to relax like I said earlier." At the irritated look on Togami's face, he continued, "I guess you could say it was a habit from my childhood. When I was little, we lived near a community pool and whenever we had the chance, my parents would take me and my sister to go swim there."  Naegi's expression softened as he remembered those days, "I wasn't the best of swimmers, but I liked being in the water. It soothed me somehow. And uh, well...sometimes..." He hesitated here, his eyes flickering towards the feet, "I...sometimes, when I had a bad day or something that was really bothering me, there are times when I couldn't sleep because of it and  I um...I may...have...um, sneaked in there at night and spent some time near the pool."

 

"You _sneaked_ in?"  
  
"There was an entrance door that was always unlocked there for some reason...and it wasn't like I was there to do anything bad!" Naegi said defensively, "I just went and sat there until I calmed down enough to feel sleepy again. Feeling the water and listening to it when everything is so quiet...it feels calming. Soothing. And whatever was troubling me would melt away." It's childish, and I know that but...I think I need a little bit of something familiar to keep me sane right now."

"It's not only childish, it's also unnecessarily risky. No matter how much faith you put those other pack members of yours." Togami looked towards the door again and muttered, "...They're not even the most dangerous thing in this place."  
"The most dangerous thing?"

 

Togami's eyes flickered towards him and back towards the door again.

 

"Nothing."  
  
"Were you in the library all this time, Togami-kun?" It had been quite a while since Night Time started.

 

"Yes."

 

"And did you find anything we could use against the mastermind?"

 

"I believe I already told you before that I am not under any obligation to give you information."

 

"...Right." Naegi had already expected that answer, but he wanted to ask all the same. And if Togami had found a way out or a way to beat the mastermind he would have done so already.  
  
Probably.

 

 _...Trust in your friends, Naegi_.

"...Hey, um, Togami-kun?"  
  
"What."  
  
"Why did you really ask me to help with the case? Back then, when we found Chihiro-kun."  
  
"I've said that before as well. I'm not even going to bother repeating it now."  
  
"If it was just because I was useful to you, you could have asked Kirigiri-san to help. I was the one who found the clues, but it was because of her deductions that we could bring the cases to a close. She's way better than me at this deducing stuff."  
Togami remained silent. Indeed, it seemed that he hadn't heard Naegi at all. The boy sighed and he plucked at his jacket zipper absently, waiting for a reprieve from the almost stifling silence.

 

It came in the form of a sneeze from him.

 

He wasn't expecting a sneeze, so it came out rather sudden and loud and Togami turned towards Naegi to see him shivering slightly, bare toes curling in the cold.

 

"Sorry I-ah" Naegi covered his mouth and sneezed a little more softly this time.  
  
"Ugh, don't hold your sneezes in, you oaf." Togami said, sounding annoyed.

 

"But, Genocider..."  
  
"Is nowhere near this area."  
  
"I've finished sneezing now though." Naegi said, sniffing a little, "I'm sorry. It's just a little cold in here."

 

"Pull your pant hems down and put your socks on then."  
  
"I can't. There isn't any room for that."

 

"Yes there is. Are you blind as well as inept?"

 

 _There isn't enough room to put them on without touching you in some way._ "I can handle it for a little longer. I'm ok, really." 

 

Togami gave a long suffering sigh and reached behind Naegi to pull his hood over his head.  
  
"T-Togami-kun?!"  
  
"80% of body heat escapes from your head. As to whether the empty space your brain should be filling up helps or hinders that process I don't know for sure, but this will at least keep a little heat in." He stated bluntly.

 

Naegi wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so he managed a "Um. Thanks." and tugged his hood a little more to adjust it properly, fingers clutching at his jacket now. Finally he asked, "Don't you feel cold too, Togami-kun?"

"My name is Togami Byakuya."  
  
Another answer he should have expected, and he did somewhat, but for some reason he found it hilarious. His hand clamped over his mouth again, but his mirth must have shown on his face, because Togami asked, "What are you laughing at now?"  
"Nothing."  
  
"If you're laughing at nothing, that would indicate your hold on reality is slipping. We don't need yet another insane person in this godforsaken place." That answer just made Naegi laugh harder and it was with extreme irritation that Togami said, "You're slaphappy. You need some sleep."  
"It would be nice if I was actually tired, though." Naegi said after he'd calmed down a bit. Although...he did feel less awake than he did a few hours ago. Maybe now, he would be able to fall asleep and stay asleep for a while.  
"Only the weak let their circumstances affect their health."  
  
"Yeah. That's true." _You've made that abundantly clear._

If he was strong, he wouldn't be having these doubts, this uncertainty.

 

"I'm not strong. I know that already. I'm hardly the strongest person in this place."  
  
"Going by terms of physical strength, no. Of course not."

 

Oogami had been the strongest. The strongest of them all.

 

_And now, she's gone too._

 

Strength had no place in this battle for life and death. For despair and hope.

 

Being weak was hardly a comfort either.

 

"Togami-kun."  
  
Togami gave an acknowledging 'hm'.

 

"If there's some way I can help you, any way I can, then please let me know."  
  
"Why should I?" It wasn't a challenge. Just a statement.

  
"Because I want to help you." Naegi said quietly.  
  
 _Even the strongest person needs help sometimes._

_The question was; would they be strong enough to ask for it?_

"Hoh. To assume that someone like me would want the help of a commoner. How brave of you, Naegi." Togami replied without missing a beat, a curious glint in his eyes.

 

"Brave? I-not really, I, uh..."

 

"Still. It must be said that you have proved yourself useful on many occasions. More so than most of the 'talented students' here. Whether this is a by-product of your own talent as a  'Super High School Level Luckster' or whether, for some unfathomable reason, you are actually more intelligent than you let on, you may prove yourself of some use to me. You already have for the past two cases. So from time to time, when it seems that even a Togami cannot perform a task alone, I may enlist your help."  
  
Naegi had to smile at that. Such a typical response. "Thank you.  I'll do my best."  
  
"I expect nothing less."  
  
"Of course. I wouldn't want to disappoint you." The sentence seemed sarcastic in nature, but the smile was genuine. Tinged with the slightest hint of fatigue.

 

It didn't go unnoticed. "Are you finally tired now?"

 

"I think so.  Mmmm. Yes, I think I am sleepy now. Oh, thinking too much is bad for me now, isn't it? Could keep me awake. Gotta stop thinking now."

 

"Not too hard for you to do I suppose."  
  
"Ow my heart." That was definitely intended to be sarcastic, and evidently Naegi himself figured how rude it sounded because he looked slightly apologetic, "...Sorry, I...wow, I'm sleepier than I thought." His body shifted, sagging a little against the wall now.  
"Don't tell me you plan to sleep? _Here,_ of all places?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Togami-kun. But...can you bear...with it? Just f..or...a...wh..ile..."

 

"Oi, Naegi! You...tch." Togami's words, loud and brash at the beginning at the sentence, but inadvertently softened when he heard Naegi's breathing slowly start to relax. His body slipped further downward a few inches before Togami pulled him up by the shoulders none too gently. Despite the rough action, Naegi just mumbled incoherently and fell silent after a while.

"Of all the...this is hardly the time or place to doze off." Togami continued, frowning at him. The words and expression were naturally wasted on the sleeping boy, but a response came nonetheless. Just not to what he was saying.

_He's shivering? He mentioned he was cold...though the temperature here is warmer in comparison to the hallway outside._

He was frowning now. The cold seemed to be affecting the shallow sleep the boy was in and with a murmur, he angled his body slightly, hunching over.

 

"Don't move around so much. You'll knock us both over and out of this locker."

 

Again, Naegi showed no sign that he'd registered the words. Togami stared at the boy for a while before he gave a long suffering sigh and pulled Naegi towards him, turning slightly to the side to lean against the wall.

 

Naegi did respond to that.

 

"...To...gami...kun?"  
  
"If you're planning to sleep off for a while, do it already. The longer you delay, the longer we stay in here."  
  
"'M sorry."

 

"Shut up and sleep, Naegi."

 

"Mmm." Naegi shifted slightly, snuggling against the sudden warmth, "Thanks."

 

"I don't need your thanks." Togami said shortly. And even though he couldn't see it, he knew that Naegi was smiling that idiotic smile of his, even as he rapidly fell back into sleep.

 

 _I don't need your thanks because I'm not doing this for you._ It wouldn't matter to him if this dull, average boy was having trouble sleeping or if his behavior seemed slightly off. It didn't matter because Naegi Makoto wasn't a player in this game of kill and be killed.

He had no interest in playing in accordance to Monokuma's wishes. He was forced to play, but it was clear that his actions and his mindset regarding the game were not one and the same.

 

Most of the students here were like him in that respect, but for some reason, his actions stood out.

 

Stood out and demanded his attention.

 

No. Ridiculous. There wasn't anything about this dull, average boy that could draw his eye.

 

A soft murmur made him look down again, at the sleeping boy's face...or what he could see of it, from underneath that hood.

 

So peaceful.

 

So dull. So average.

 

He shouldn't keep looking.

 

He shifted his hands from the boy's shoulders to his back because the position seemed slightly less awkward. He brushed back the hair from Naegi's face because it tickled the back of his palm irritatingly.

 

Togami closed his own eyes.

 

_It's quiet outside._

_I think she's finally gone. Probably safe to get out now._

_..._

He tilted his head back.

 

Maybe he should rest his eyes for a little while too. All that time he had spent in the library was beginning to take a toll on him. And he was already in this ridiculous situation, might as well make the most of it. This position wasn't exactly helping him relax though.

 

Grumbling, he opened his eyes and adjusted Naegi's position a little to shift his weight so that he was comfortable. The boy was surprisingly heavy, given that he seemed skinny and small to boot.

 

It was probably because of these qualities though, but the more Togami looked at him, the more... _vulnerable_ he seemed.

 

_Ridiculous._

_  
_

He shouldn't even be looking at him. But he did anyway.

And he knew the reason why.

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and commanded his brain to shut down for a few moments.

Not an easy task. Useless thoughts kept spinning at the back of his mind, and all of them seemed to be about him. How small and thin he was. How fragile he seemed. How, when he'd seen determination flood his eyes like wild hellfire, strong he was. That simple, idiotic, warm smile of his. How oddly comforting the weight of his body felt against his own...

Another sigh.

This was going to be a long night.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> yeaaaaahhhhh IDEK


End file.
